Improvement in lumber-driers



Patented Oet. 4, `1870.

Lumber Dryer.

' N/PETEiQ. PHOTO-QTHDGRAPHER. WASHIIIGTQNVD, C.

N 0 S U G R E hr. E R

mrnreems; r

v in the form of water.

. the cooling-chamberd, and there being retainedtill at the line a: x, in iig. 1; and

Y cineast-mt parte entre i ROBERT E. FERGUSON, or CHICAGO. `iLLnvoIs.

Letters Patent No. 107,892, dated October 4, 1870.

I, ROBERT- E. FERGUSON, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and Siate of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Lumber-Driers, ot' which the following `is a specioation, reference being had -to the accompanying drawing.

T/tc Nature and Object of my I itc/antica. My invention relates to the condensing-chamber B in the drier, into which thejsteam passes as it is evaporated from the lumber, to be condensed andflow oi The steam passes freely into it condenses into water and ows off, the heat is retained in agreat degree'yand the steam arising from the lumber is so far retained in the drying-room or chamber A as to prevent the'outside from drying too .rapidly and checking. p The condensing-chamber is so constructed that the condensed steam or vapor cannot flow back 'into the drying-chamber, but flows off outside of the building.

And my invention also consists' of the combination of the trough I and discharge-pipe J with the condensing-chamber, constructed with a floor for retaining the waterpas hereafter described.

Description gf thc Drawing.

`Figure 1 represents 'a side elevation of my drier, with one corner cut away, to show the water-discharge pipe from the condensing-chamber Figure 2 represents a vertical sectional view, taken Figure Srepresents a plan view, with the roof or General lJcscrtpt/ion. W represents the-walls of a drier or dry-house, for drying lumber. I prefer making them with a space,

S, which I ll with sawdust, but theymay `be made in any of the usual ways of making walls intended to retain the heat.

D is the doorway for admitting lumber. A'is theroom or chamber where the lumber is placed to be dried. This c hamber is made as tight as possible, and heated in any of the known ways of heating apartments of that kind. As lumber-driers are. usually built inconnection with steam-mills, I usually run a steam-pipe 'from the boiler, and pass steam through coils arranged in the dryingfchamber A, and exhaustoutside of the chamber, heating the down the'walls They conduct it upon the floor F, as shown; and one side of these pieces isY beveled, so as to conduct. all the moisture that may gather upon the pieces themselves, s'o that it will drop upon the oor F.

` v I is a trough, so arranged that the water Hows into it from the floor F, and-L.

J is a pipe, vextending from the trough I down andv out through' the wall, as shown. The steam, as fast as it condenses, flows into the trough I, andthrough.

the pipe J, to be discharged outside of the drier.

V are hinged covers or lids, and are weighted down by the weights L, which are hung on notched arms O, so that they can be moved thereon to regulate the Vpressure required to raise the lidsV. These weighted lids are for au escape of steam, in case there is a sufficiently high temperature in the drying-chamber to cause the steam evaporated from the lumber so much faster than it would coudensein thecondensing-chamber as to cause a high pressure of steam.

VThe/Hoor F is composed of overlapping strips or l, pieces, as shown, but I do not wish to limit my in-k vention to that particular kind of tloor, as a corrugated floor would admit-'of the steam passing up into the chamber B, and prevent the water from flowing back.

As the temperature in the drying-chamber A is raised the moisture in the lumber evaporates, and,in the form of' steam or vapor, passes into the chamber B, as above described, where it condenses into water and tlows ott' through the pipe J.

The valves V are not intende-d for the escape of steam, but it is intended to be retained till it coudenses but in oase of a high degree of heat, so that the steam will not condense rapidly, the valves are for the purposes above specified.

2. 'lhe combination ofthe pipeJ and trough I with the condensing-chamber, provided with a water-retaining :d oor, when constructed'and operated sub. stantially as and for the purposes described.

ROBT. E. FERGUSON. \Vitr1esses z l L. L. Connex, HEINRICH F. BRUNS. 

